How To Make A Zero Clearance Insert With Splitter

The following presumes you have a right tilting Delta
Unisaw. Please make the necessary adjustments for your make
of saw, insert thickness and blade tilt direction.
How To Make A Zero Clearance Insert With Splitter:
1) Go to Home Depot/Lowes and give an eye up to the stack
of 1/2" MDF.
2) Find a sheet that hasn't been dinged by the fork lift
tines during the twice weekly Warehouse Rodeo and Jousting
Championship.
3) Wrestle the sheet off and onto one of the (insert color
here) flat carts.
4) Wheel it back to the nice man at the Safety Speed-Cut
panel saw.
5) Instruct him to make cross cuts at about 32". You may
choose to use another size(s). Exercise this option now.
6) Load the cut sheets back onto the cart, stand in line,
let everyone know how peeved you are that you are being made
to stand in line, make an ass of yourself and then pay the
nice people at the check out.
7) When back at the shop set aside one piece for a table
saw sled to be built later. Set another aside for future
projects or jigs and fixtures.
8) With the last piece begin ripping the sheet into pieces
1/16"ish wider than your table saw blade insert.
9) Cross cut the pieces 1/16"ish longer than your insert.
10) Make a template. Here's where people usually chime in
to just use your present insert to make the new inserts. I
prefer to make a template for reasons that will be made
known shortly.
11) Start with your OEM insert and trace a line around it
onto one of the MDF blanks.
12) Band saw (jig saw) the rounded ends off.
13) Go back to Home Depot/Lowes and buy some 3M (Scotch)
No. 4011 Exterior Mounting Tape. It has a proper amount of
tackiness but isn't so think that the template/item being
cut will shift thus spoiling the cut.
14) Double face tape the MDF to the OEM insert with
4-pieces of tape 1" long. Press together using hand
pressure.
15) Load router table with router bit having a bearing on
top. Raise bit until the cutter is a red cubic hair or so
above the thickness of the MDF.
16) Run the MDF/OEM insert sandwich into the bit and trim
off all edges and ends.
17) Go back to Home Depot/Lowes and purchase a box of 1/2-8
flat head Phillips sheet metal screws.
18) Using the OEM insert to locate, drill and countersink
the face of your template for four of these screws.
19) Insert screws so that points just peek out by 1/32"ish.
20) Using this template take another of the MDF blanks and
press the pointy end screw side onto the blank.
21) Rout off the excess as you did above with the template
and OEM insert.
22) Rinse and repeat until all blanks are routed.
23) Drill and countersink the face of the MDF insert for
leveling screws. Step 20 will have pre-located these for
you. Insert 1/2-8 flat head Phillips screws into freshly
drilled and countersunk holes so tips are just coming
through.
24) Into the edge of each template drill and countersink a
hole for a 3/4" course thread drywall screw of other screw
of your choosing. Do the same with one screw on the end of
the MDF insert. Be sure to oversize this hole so the screw
does not split the MDF. This screw hole is not structural.
25) Insert screws into freshly drilled and countersunk
holes.
26) Place MDF insert into blade opening in table saw.
Check for fit. Adjust leveling screws so insert is flush
with the saw table. Adjust the edge screws in or out for
perfect snug fit.
26) Repeat the above with three blanks for every saw blade
you own, i.e., you have four blades then fit up twelve
inserts.
27) Using your dado set place onto the saw arbor the two
outside cutters.
28) Insert MDF insert into blade opening and park the saw
fence over it but to the wide side away from the line of the
dado set below.
29) Raise dado set until the cutters are just starting to
bulge through the face of the MDF insert.
30) Repeat until all inserts are done.
31) Replace dado cutters with your saw blade and repeat the
raising through though this time raise the blade as high as
it will go.
32) Carefully measure from the fence side face of the saw
blade to the fence side edge of the insert and set saw fence
at that setting.
33) Feed one of the inserts into the saw blade for 1 1/2".
Stop and with draw.
34) Set up porty planer and begin planing stock to a
thickness that matches the kerf made in the last step.
Note: Don't presume that you only need to plane the wood to
the advertised blade kerf unless your saw has zero run out.
35) Cut and fit the freshly planed stock into the kerf.
Let it stick out a minimum of 1/4" plus the thickness of
whatever material you expect to be cutting, i.e., for 3/4"
material you will want this to stand 1".
36) Glue freshly trimmed, freshly planed stock into kerf
slot in the MDF insert. When dry, insert MDF insert into
saw blade opening and rip a piece of wood. Check to see
that there is no gap between the wood and the freshly glued,
freshly trimmed, freshly planed stock.
37) Repeat until all inserts for all inserts are done.
38) Set aside balance of insert blanks to be used at a
later date or for when you set up for dado cutting.
39) Post your horrible experience at Home Depot/Lowes on
rec.woodorking and make an ass of yourself.
UA100

Couple of questions. If I buy the MDF at Home Depot, can I use screws from
Lowes?
Will the Lowes tape stick to Home Depot MDF?
If I take someone with me, can I combine steps 13 and 17?
What if it is raining: does that make a difference?
Your clarification will be appreciated.

And to add to what Edwin asked, Id like to know if I should use a wipe on
poly or leave it natural? If I leave it natural will it provoke premature
decay in the cast iron of my saw table? Just wondering because a friend of
mine who doesnt have internet access yet (Hes a Sherpa) asked me and I told
him I would pass this on to you guys since we're both too stupid to figure
this out on our own! :-)
Jim

Hey good point Edmin I never thought of that. You got me thinking though. If
I was to cover the insert with a soft felt or velour material it would be
softer for the kids to climb around on and would also eliminate the
possibility of getting splinters! Cool huh?
Jim

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